Sportingnews Teams Reports (Saints)

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PERSONNEL ANALYSIS
Heading into last Sunday's game at Carolina, opposing quarterbacks had a passer rating of 101.6 against the Saints -- by far the highest in the league. But David Carr and Matt ...

PERSONNEL ANALYSIS
Heading into last Sunday's game at Carolina, opposing quarterbacks had a passer rating of 101.6 against the Saints -- by far the highest in the league. But David Carr and Matt Moore combined for a rating of 27.7 because the Saints brought consistent pressure, forced three interceptions and didn't give up any deep passes. That starts up front, where the Saints were fortunate to get DE Charles Grant back from an ankle injury. Carolina barely got an opportunity to attack the Saints' struggling CB Jason David, who showed some improvement. The Saints won't be able to rattle Tampa Bay QB Jeff Garcia easily because he makes quick throws and smart decisions. But they can't allow him time to sit back and pick them apart. ...
With RB Reggie Bush limited because of a shin injury, the Saints spread out their rushing workload between Bush, Aaron Stecker and Pierre Thomas at Carolina. Bush should get more carries as he gets healthier, but expect the Saints to keep working Stecker and Thomas into the mix going forward. Both backs are a little more efficient up the middle, where the Saints have struggled this year. Plus, the Saints are more dangerous when they can line up Bush in the slot or send him in motion. Defenses then have more to worry about, and the Saints become almost three-dimensional.

SCOUTING REPORT
Second-year S Roman Harper probably had his best performance to date against Carolina, forcing a fumble, intercepting a pass and making a stop on fourth-and-1. His development is key to the Saints' immediate success, as well as their future. They would love to establish him as the strong safety so they can concentrate on other areas of the defense in the draft and free agency. Harper (6-1, 200) is a hard-hitting safety who is best as a run stopper and an open-field tackler. He has struggled at times in pass coverage, but he has improved in that area as he has gotten into more of a rhythm this season. Harper went down with a season-ending knee injury in the fifth game of his rookie season, so he has only played in 16 career games.

YOUTH MOVEMENT First-round draft pick Robert Meachem has not been activated this season, but that doesn't mean the receiver is a complete bust. Think of this as his redshirt season. Meachem, a 6-2, 214-pound receiver from Tennessee, was slow to develop in the offseason, especially after he underwent arthroscopic surgery on his knee, so he never really made a push for playing time early. But now there's no room to try to work him in because the Saints are happy with all five of their veteran receivers. If Meachem uses this year to learn the playbook, he can take on a more prominent role next offseason. David Patten, Devery Henderson and Terrance Copper are all free agents, so the Saints likely will let at least one of them go.